Some Reasons NOT To Vote For McShitstain

I am sick and tired of McCain brushing off every legitimate criticism by invoking the fact that he was a POW.




Being a POW does not excuse you for having a crappy health policy.


Being a POW does not make you a war hero -- for that you have to kill the enemy in a useful way to actually win the war.

And being a POW does not make you an expert on military or foreign policy.

But being a POW DOES make McShitstain nothing but a PRISON BITCH.

• was fifth from the bottom in class rank, 894th out of 899.


• a sub-par flier, with limited patience for studying aviation manuals.


• Crashed his plane FIVE times, before shot down and taken prisoner.


• His role in Forrestal fire.

McCain was physically brave and committed to a military career because of heritage. But is appears that he was fundementally not very smart, not very interested in actually being a good pilot, studying or working to be a good pilot and actually do his best to win the Vietnam war that was allegedly so imporant to win.

He could not be bothered to study hard, stay sober and fight succesfully.

Most of us have heard about his being fifth from the bottom in his academy class rank, 894th out of 899. That is his undergraduate career. That is much worse then George W. Bush was at Yale. Some of it is excused as demerits from bad behavior. But I have not seen anything about his actual academic GPA. And if he was so interested in beating the Soviets or later in winning the Vietnam war maybe he should have studied and worked harder.

Per the Wikipeida entry on the early life and military career of John McCain (retreived 4/17/2008):

McCain was then commissioned an ensign, and spent two and a half years as a naval aviator in training at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida and Naval Air Station Corpus Christi in Texas.[46] He earned a reputation as a party man, as he drove a Corvette, dated an exotic dancer named "Marie the Flame of Florida", spent all his free time on the beach or in a BOQ room turned bar and friendly gambling den, and, as he would later say, "generally misused my good health and youth".

He began as a sub-par flier, with limited patience for studying aviation manuals.

During a practice run in Texas, his engine quit while landing, and his aircraft crashed into Corpus Christi Bay and sank to the bottom. Although momentarily knocked unconscious by the impact, he squeezed out of the cockpit and swam to the surface, escaping without major injuries.

That is crashed on his own #1.

...he had another close call when he and his plane emerged intact from a collision with power lines after flying too low over Spain.

That's #2.

In late 1965, he had his third close call when a flameout in his trainer jet over Norfolk, Virginia led to his ejecting safely before his plane crashed.

And that was #3. That we know of.

One question has always been, how much did McCain's dads position as a senior Admiral have to do with this incompetent not being kicked out of the service?

The above are accepted facts. This next item is questionable but potentially interesting for mainstream follow-up:

Some have suggested (wingers love that phrase) that McCain's had direct involvement in causing the worst non-combat-related disaster in the history of the Navy, the Forrestal fire that killed 134 sailors and injured 62 on July 29, 1967:

Supposedly verified by unamed "senior Naval officer who was assigned to the Naval War College":

McCain and the Forrestal's skipper, Capt. John K. Beling, were warned about the danger of using M-65 1000-lb. bombs manufactured in 1935, which were deemed too dangerous to use during World War II and, later, on B-52 bombers. The fire from the Zuni misfire resulted in the heavy 1000 pounders being knocked loose from the pylons of McCain's A-4, which were only designed to hold 500-pound bombs.' WMR further reported, 'The unstable bombs had a 60-second cook-off threshold in a fire situation and this warning was known to both Beling and McCain prior to the disaster.'

...crewmen aboard the Forrestal have provided additional information about the Forrestal incident. It is believed by many crewmen and those who have investigated the case that McCain deliberately 'wet-started' his A-4E to shake up the guy in the plane behind his A-4. 'Wet-starts', done either deliberately or accidentally, shoot a large flame from the tail of the aircraft.

In McCain's case, the 'wet-start' apparently 'cooked off' and launched the Zuni rocket from the rear F-4 that touched off the explosions and massive fire. The F-4 pilot was reportedly killed in the conflagration.

'Wet starting' was apparently a common practice among young 'hot-dog' pilots. McCain was quickly transferred to the USS Oriskany (the only Forrestal crewman to be immediately transferred). After the disaster, McCain was shot down over North Vietnam on October 26, 1967.

...informed by knowledgeable sources, including an ex-Navy A-4 pilot, the 'wet-start game' was a common occurrence. However, it is between 'very unlikely' and 'impossible' for the Forrestal 'wet start' to have been accidental. 'Wet starts' were later rendered impossible by automated engine controls."

Now granted, the above and more on this is from, ahem, cough, cough, Wayne Madsen via Portland IndyMedia. But hey, if Ayers is a real issue, then WMR is a source worth at least following up on. There is at least some specificity and details being made in these charges that could be looked into.

Has anybody else looked into this?
Inquiring and enquiring minds want to know.

By the way... when McCain was shot down, was it just routine bad luck, the sad but predictable result of a proven lousy pilot who did not study his manuals, or just maybe (playing the sort of specious psychobble games that should be appreciated by those who waved purple heart band aids against Kerry) he felt guilty over his role in the Forrestal fire.

Now of course, we all know that McCain was a great and mighty war hero once he was a POW.

Or not!

As John Aravosis reminds us on his AmericaBlog

McCain working for the enemy. If a US soldier made propaganda tapes for the enemy (like John McCain did), then went on to run for president as a Democrat, the Republicans would eviscerate that candidate. I want George Stephanopoulos to ask John McCain if he loves America as much as soldiers who didn't make propaganda tapes for the enemy while in captivity. Oh, and in case you think I'm kidding, here are McCain's own words:

"Later, I made a second, feebler attempt at suicide. On the fourth day, I gave up. I signed a confession that "I am a black criminal and I have performed the deeds of an air pilot. The guards ordered me to record my confession on tape. I refused, and was beaten until I consented."

Well, I'm sure a POW has never been beaten before, so it's totally understandable why McCain betrayed his country during his "hero" years in Vietnam. (Or are we to assume that all American POWs betray their country while in captivity, right?)

Maybe among all those who were POWs there were some others who did not do the confession and betrayal thing?

Since being a POW was his initial entry ticket to polical success (the money of his partner in adultery, drug addict thief with a penchant for plagiarism 2nd wife being his other enabling factor), maybe anybody who was a "better POW" should be promoted to President ahead of McCain?